WASHINGTON: The White House is weighing ways to provide temporary legal status and work permits to immigrants in the US illegally who are married to American citizens, three sources familiar with the matter said on Monday, a move that could energize some Democrats ahead of the November elections.
Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups have pressured President Joe Biden to take steps to protect immigrants in the country illegally as Biden simultaneously considers executive actions to reduce illegal border crossings.
Immigration has emerged as a top voter concern, especially among Republicans ahead of the Nov. 5 election pitting Biden, a Democrat, against his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. Trump has said Biden’s less restrictive policies have led to a rise in illegal immigration.
The White House in recent months has considered the possibility of executive actions to block migrants at the US-Mexico border if crossings reach a certain threshold, sparking criticism from some Democrats and advocates.
The Biden administration also has examined the possible use of “parole in place” for spouses of US citizens, the sources said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The temporary status would provide access to work permits and potentially a path to citizenship. No actions are imminent or finalized, the sources said.
A White House spokesperson said the administration “is constantly evaluating possible policy options” but declined to confirm discussions around specific actions.
“The administration remains committed to ensuring those who are eligible for relief can receive it quickly and to building an immigration system that is fairer and more humane,” the spokesperson said.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the possible moves.
An estimated 1.1 million immigrants in the US illegally are married to US citizens, according to data by advocacy organization FWD.us.
A group of 86 Democrats sent a letter to Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last year urging them to protect spouses of US citizens and create a family reunification process for those outside the country.
Speaking at an advocacy press conference in Washington on Monday, Philadelphia resident and US citizen Allyson Batista said her Brazilian-born husband still lacks legal immigration status after 20 years of marriage.
Batista and her husband have three children together and run a construction company, she said, pleading with Biden to act.
“Year after year, we continue to live in trauma and fear of separation,” she said, “especially if an unfriendly administration takes over again.”
White House weighs immigration relief for spouses of US citizens
https://arab.news/g372z
White House weighs immigration relief for spouses of US citizens
- An estimated 1.1 million immigrants in the US illegally are married to US citizens, according to data by advocacy organization FWD.us
UN says Myanmar junta using ‘brutal violence’ to force people to vote
- International monitors have dismissed the phased month-long vote as a rebranding of martial rule
- Turk warned Tuesday that civilians were being threatened by both the military authorities and armed opposition groups over their participation in the polls
GENEVA: The UN said on Tuesday Myanmar’s junta was using violence and intimidation to force people to vote in upcoming military-controlled elections, while armed opposition groups were using similar tactics to keep people away.
“The military authorities in Myanmar must stop using brutal violence to compel people to vote and stop arresting people for expressing any dissenting views,” United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
Myanmar’s junta is set to preside over voting starting Sunday, touting heavily restricted polls as a return to democracy five years after it ousted the last elected government, triggering civil war.
But former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed and her hugely popular party dissolved after soldiers ended the nation’s decade-long democratic experiment in February 2021.
International monitors have dismissed the phased month-long vote as a rebranding of martial rule.
Turk, who last month told AFP that holding elections in Myanmar under the current circumstances was “unfathomable,” warned Tuesday that civilians were being threatened by both the military authorities and armed opposition groups over their participation in the polls.
His statement highlighted the dozens of individuals who have reportedly been detained under an “election protection law” for exercising their freedom of expression.
Many had been slapped with “extremely harsh sentences,” the statement said, pointing to three youths in Hlainghaya Township in the Yangon region who were sentenced to between 42 and 49 years behind bars for hanging up anti-election posters.
The UN rights office said it had also received reports from displaced people in several parts of the country, including the Mandalay region, who had been warned they would be attacked or their homes seized if they did not return to vote.
“Forcing displaced people to undertake unsafe and involuntary returns is a human rights violation,” Turk stressed.
He said that people were also facing “serious threats” from armed groups opposing the military, including nine women teachers from Kyaikto who were reportedly abducted last month while traveling to attend a training on the ballot.
They were then “released with warnings from the perpetrators,” the statement said.
It also pointed to how the self-declared Yangon Army bombed administration offices in Hlegu and North Okkalapa townships in the Yangon region, injuring several election staff, and had vowed to “keep attacking election organizers.”
“These elections are clearly taking place in an environment of violence and repression,” Turk said.
“There are no conditions for the exercise of the rights of freedom of expression, association or peaceful assembly that allow for the free and meaningful participation of the people.”
